Game ID: 22500186
Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 32 24 40 32 128CHI 29 43 26 24 122
CHI @ CLE ScoutingCHI @ CLE Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 10/31 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 5 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 5 min since (43% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/02 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 6 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 7 min since (64% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/05 · 2 days' restOUT Allen missed 2 since 10/31, returns tonight: 30 min (106% of 28)
OUT Merrill missed 3 since 10/29, returns tonight: 27 min (108% of 25)
OUT Tomlin missed 7 since 10/22, returns tonight: 1 min (8% of 14)
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 7 min since (60% of 11)
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 18 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/07 · 1 day's restBACK Allen back 11/05 after 2, 30 min since (106% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 3, 27 min since (108% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 11/05 after 7, 1 min since (8% of 14)
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 6 min since (50% of 11)
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 18 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/08 · back-to-backBACK Allen back 11/05 after 2, 28 min since (100% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 3, 23 min since (91% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 11/05 after 7, 4 min since (24% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 17 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restBACK Allen back 11/05 after 2, 27 min since (96% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 3, 24 min since (97% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 11/05 after 7, 4 min since (24% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 18 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 18 min (122% of 14)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 19 min (158% of 12)
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 11/08, returns tonight: 13 min (114% of 11)
BACK Allen back 11/05 after 2, 25 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 3, 26 min since (106% of 25)
CLE availability going into 11/13 · back-to-backBACK Allen back 11/05 after 2, 26 min since (93% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 3, 25 min since (101% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 11/05 after 7, 8 min since (57% of 14)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/12 after 2, 19 min since (158% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 13 min since (114% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/15 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Tyson missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
BACK Tomlin back 11/12 after 2, 20 min since (136% of 14)
BACK Nance Jr. back 11/12 after 2, 13 min since (107% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 11/12 after 2, 10 min since (88% of 11)
NEW Proctor 10 to 16 min over the last 4
CHI availability going into 10/31 · 1 day's restOUT Carter missed 4 since 10/22, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 2 since 10/27, out tonight
CHI availability going into 11/02 · 1 day's restOUT Carter missed 5 since 10/22, returns tonight: 12 min (110% of 11)
OUT Terry missed 3 since 10/27, returns tonight: 1 min (11% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/04 · 1 day's restBACK Carter back 11/02 after 5, 12 min since (110% of 11)
BACK Terry back 11/02 after 3, 1 min since (11% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/07 · 2 days' restOUT Dosunmu missed 2 since 11/02, returns tonight: 20 min (76% of 26)
BACK Carter back 11/02 after 5, 12 min since (110% of 11)
BACK Terry back 11/02 after 3, 7 min since (67% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/08 · back-to-backOUT Carter missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Dosunmu back 11/07 after 2, 20 min since (76% of 26)
BACK Terry back 11/02 after 3, 7 min since (61% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Carter missed 3 since 11/04, returns tonight: 8 min (73% of 11)
BACK Dosunmu back 11/07 after 2, 21 min since (81% of 26)
BACK Terry back 11/02 after 3, 7 min since (61% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restBACK Dosunmu back 11/07 after 2, 25 min since (96% of 26)
BACK Carter back 11/02 after 5, 10 min since (91% of 11)
BACK Terry back 11/02 after 3, 6 min since (51% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/16 · 3 days' restOUT Giddey missed 2 since 11/10, returns tonight: 42 min (132% of 32)
BACK Dosunmu back 11/07 after 2, 24 min since (93% of 26)
BACK Carter back 11/10 after 3, 13 min since (115% of 11)
CHI availability going into 11/17 · back-to-backBACK Giddey back 11/16 after 2, 42 min since (132% of 32)
BACK Dosunmu back 11/07 after 2, 25 min since (94% of 26)
BACK Carter back 11/10 after 3, 13 min since (115% of 11)
NEW Huerter 24 to 29 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Mobley at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 121, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Giddey at 24 and Vučević at 18 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-3 a night and Cleveland minus-3. Call it Cleveland 121, Chicago 116.
10/31 vs TOR 101-112 — CLE notes
CLE lost 101-112. CLE took 8 more shots (90 to 82), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to TOR's 49%, 14 of 46 from three. Mobley led with 29 (11 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Hunter added 26, Tyson 18. Q2 was theirs, 21-18, the deficit cut from 8 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 94-80 against them. They led by as many as 10. Porter Jr.'s -17 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/02 vs ATL 117-109 — CLE notes
CLE won 117-109. CLE shot 41% (40 of 97) to ATL's 51%, 20 of 57 from three, and got to the line 18 times to ATL's 35. CLE turned it over 16 times to ATL's 22. Mitchell led with 37 (12 of 21, 8 of 15 from three); Hunter added 19, Tyson 18. The hinge was Q1, 31-22: from level to 9 ahead. CLE trailed 50-52 at the half and won the second half 67-57. Tyson was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
11/05 vs PHI 132-121 — CLE notes
CLE won 132-121. CLE shot 53% (49 of 92) to PHI's 49%, 18 of 44 from three, and got to the line 17 times to PHI's 30. Mitchell led with 46 (15 of 21, 6 of 11 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Allen added 24, Mobley 23. The hinge was Q3, 37-20: a lead of 3 became 20, and the lead reached 26. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
11/07 @ WAS 148-115 — CLE notes
CLE won 148-115. CLE shot 47% (52 of 110) to WAS's 45%, 20 of 45 from three, and went to the line 31 times to WAS's 23 — 24 points from the stripe to their 18. CLE turned it over 10 times to WAS's 20. The glass went 57-44 for them. Mitchell led with 24 (8 of 20, 4 of 10 from three); Garland added 20, Mobley 18. The hinge was Q1, 39-26: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 36. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
11/08 vs CHI 128-122 — CLE notes
CLE won 128-122. CLE shot 49% (46 of 94) to CHI's 45%, 17 of 46 from three, and got to the line 26 times to CHI's 36. The glass went 39-49 against them. Mitchell led with 29 (10 of 24, 5 of 12 from three); Hunter added 29, Mobley 24. The hinge was Q3, 40-26: the deficit went from 16 to 2. CLE trailed 56-72 at the half and won the second half 72-50. Hunter was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
11/10 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 122, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Powell at 23 and Wiggins at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 12 a night. Without Adebayo (2 straight), Jakučionis (3 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 116, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 34 and Mobley at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-3 a night and Miami minus-12 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 116 a night to Miami's 122. Call it Miami 121, Cleveland 120, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/12 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 124, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; Powell at 25 and Wiggins at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Adebayo (3 straight), Jakučionis (4 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 133 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 33 and Mobley at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-1 a night and Miami minus-13. Call it Miami 124, Cleveland 123, Cleveland keeping it close.
11/13 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 135 a night and allowing 123, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Mobley at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Toronto comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Ingram at 21 and Barrett at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Toronto allowing 108 a night to Cleveland's 123. Call it Cleveland 121, Toronto 119, Toronto keeping it close.
11/15 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 124, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Hunter at 19 a game. Without Garland (2 straight), Tyson (2 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 121, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Morant at 16 and Jackson Jr. at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Small (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-1 a night and Memphis minus-5 and the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 10. Call it Cleveland 125, Memphis 115, Cleveland by 10.
10/31 vs NYK 135-125 — CHI notes
CHI won 135-125. CHI shot 54% (45 of 84) to NYK's 49%, 17 of 37 from three, and went to the line 35 times to NYK's 23 — 28 points from the stripe to their 17. CHI turned it over 7 times to NYK's 12. Giddey led with 32 (12 of 21, 4 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Vučević added 26, Dosunmu 22. The hinge was Q2, 37-26: a lead of 8 became 19, and the lead reached 22. Dosunmu was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
11/02 @ NYK 116-128 — CHI notes
CHI lost 116-128. CHI shot 48% (45 of 93) to NYK's 45%, 17 of 40 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 20 fouls committed. Giddey led with 23 (10 of 19, 1 of 5 from three); Vučević added 17, Jones 15. Q4 was theirs, 27-23, the deficit cut from 16 to 12, but the other 3 periods went 105-89 against them. Jones's -18 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/04 vs PHI 113-111 — CHI notes
CHI won 113-111. CHI shot 47% (42 of 89) to PHI's 43%, 13 of 34 from three. Giddey led with 29 (10 of 19, 2 of 4 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Vučević added 19, Okoro 16. The hinge was Q4, 29-16: CHI came in trailing by 11 and left it ahead by 2. CHI trailed 56-75 at the half and won the second half 57-36. Buzelis was the night's best plus/minus at +9.
11/07 @ MIL 110-126 — CHI notes
CHI lost 110-126. CHI shot 49% (44 of 90) to MIL's 47%, 10 of 33 from three. Buzelis led with 20 (8 of 13, 2 of 6 from three); Jones added 17, Giddey 16. Q1 was theirs, 25-23, but the other 3 periods went 103-85 against them. Okoro's -13 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/08 @ CLE 122-128 — CHI notes
CHI lost 122-128. CHI shot 45% (38 of 84) to CLE's 49%, 13 of 29 from three, and went to the line 36 times to CLE's 26 — 33 points from the stripe to their 19. The glass went 49-39 for them. Okoro led with 19 (5 of 7, 3 of 4 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Smith added 18, Jones 17. Q2 was theirs, 43-24, turning a 3-point deficit into a 16-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 104-79 against them. They led by as many as 19. Jones's -26 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 124, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; Giddey at 23 and Vučević at 17 a game. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 19 and Castle at 19 a game. Without Harper (3 straight), Kornet (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Chicago at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 34 and the defense, San Antonio allowing 116 a night to Chicago's 124. Call it San Antonio 119, Chicago 117, Chicago keeping it close.
11/12 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 29 free throws a game; Cunningham at 34 and Duren at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Harris (5 straight), Stewart (2 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Giddey at 21 and Jones at 15 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, and the game turns on the defense, Detroit allowing 112 a night to Chicago's 123 and the line, where Detroit takes 29 free throws a game to Chicago's 21. Call it Detroit 121, Chicago 114.
11/16 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 126, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Markkanen at 27 and George at 19 a game. Without Kessler (7 straight), Anderson (3 straight), Tshiebwe (12 straight). 2 days' rest. Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Giddey at 20 and Huerter at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Giddey (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Utah wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Utah 120, Chicago 119, Chicago keeping it close.
11/17 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 98, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 30 free throws a game; Jokić at 35 and Murray at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Chicago comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 130, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 27 free throws a game; Giddey at 19 and Jones at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the defense, Denver allowing 98 a night to Chicago's 130 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-7 a night and Chicago plus-1. Call it Denver 122, Chicago 110, Denver by 12.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
LB L. Ball
SM S. Merrill
TP T. Proctor
CHIAD A. Dosunmu
IO I. Okoro
JG J. Giddey
JP J. Phillips
JS J. Smith
KH K. Huerter
MB M. Buzelis
NV N. Vučević
PW P. Williams
TJ T. Jones
VU Vucevic
CLE/CHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Mitchell makes go-ahead basket with 34 seconds left as Cavaliers rally to beat Bulls 128-122
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored eight straight points in 65 seconds, including the go-ahead basket with 34 seconds remaining, and the Cleveland Cavaliers closed on a 12-0 run to beat the Chicago Bulls 128-122 on Saturday night.
Chicago built a 122-116 lead on two free throws by Tre Jones with 1:47 left before Mitchell caught fire, pouring in three successive buckets — including a three-point play. Mitchell scored 26 of his 29 points in the second half as the Cavaliers rallied from 19 down.
De’Andre Hunter had a season-high 29 points and Evan Mobley posted 24 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland, which has won four straight. Mitchell also had six rebounds and six assists.
Isaac Okoro scored 19 points and Jalen Smith had 18 points and 11 rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench for the Bulls. Jones added 17 points and Josh Giddey provided 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Chicago has lost three of four since opening the season with five consecutive wins.
Giddey's slam pushed the Bulls' advantage to 72-53 late in the second quarter after they trailed by nine in the opening period. Mitchell missed nine of his 10 shots in the first half.
The Bulls had seized command with a 25-5 run, fueled by eight points from Smith. They started 7 of 9 beyond the arc and made their first 13 free throws.
Cleveland played without point guard Darius Garland , who returned from offseason surgery on his left big toe Nov. 5 but is being held out of playing on back-to-back nights.
The start of the second half was delayed six minutes while the rim in front of the visiting bench was checked to make sure it was level.
Up next Bulls: Host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
Cavaliers: Visit the Miami Heat for two consecutive games, beginning Monday.